"Rather than a patchwork of state regulations, we need a science-based federal backstop of consistent and strong regulations to guarantee that carbon is actually sequestered and sequestered permanently," said Patrick Drupp, a clean air expert at the Sierra Club.
Some environmentalists worry that delegating enforcement authority to the states for these carbon sequestration wells could lead to inconsistent rules, lax monitoring and potential hazards such as carbon returning to the atmosphere. If we delegate primary regulatory and enforcement authority to the state, we're saying it can handle things in its backyard, so long as the state meets federal standards " said Burke. Giving states primacy over regulating carbon injection wells can speed up the permitting process through greater efficiency and less red tape, said Marcella Burke, a partner with law firm King & Spalding and former deputy general counsel at the EPA. (For a map of carbon storage projects proposed along the U.S. The company has shared its plans with the state's regulator and supports Louisiana's request for primacy, a spokesperson said. Sempra Energy (SRE.N) also has an application pending before the EPA for a Louisiana facility tied to a liquefied natural gas plant. The technology will require government support and stable policies, including "a streamlined permitting process for CCS facilities," Exxon spokesman Todd Spitler said. In Texas, Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) is evaluating a massive carbon reservoir off the coast along with more than dozen other energy firms. States angling for oversight are home to big energy firms proposing underground CO2 storage projects. Environmental groups also have won multi-million dollar settlements in federal courts for pollution unpenalized by Texas. The EPA last year launched a probe of Texas' air quality regulator for not properly monitoring a big air polluter. However, environmentalists worry putting state regulators in charge will lead to lax monitoring once regulatory agencies in oil-friendly states take charge. States must demonstrate their own regulations are as stringent as the EPA's.
New Mexico, the second largest oil producer after Texas, has begun initial discussions with the EPA for applying to regulate carbon sequestration wells, an official said. The third-largest oil producing state, North Dakota, won oversight in 2018 and issued its first permit last year after an eight-month review. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas storages sites. Oil states, including Texas and Louisiana, want to take over permit reviews and enforcement authority, also known as primacy, from the U.S. The rules governing the carbon-injection wells for most states require federal approval with the first permits taking around six years to win a green light. oil-producing states are trying to wrest oversight of carbon capture wells from federal regulators, hoping to speed the oil industry's preferred approach to combating climate warming amid calls for limits on fossil fuel production.Ĭompanies are proposing carbon capture and storage (CCS) hubs to sequester greenhouse gas emissions from refineries, chemical and natural gas plants, a move that could help slow global warming.
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